Chapter 79
Cha Yoon’s face hardened instantly. Liking Ki Seo-jung? Though he had tossed and turned all night, mulling it over repeatedly, when the thought he had deliberately cut out surfaced, he couldn’t help but feel resentment.
“What nonsense. Who likes whom? Does that make any sense?”
“Why doesn’t it make sense?”
“Use your head and think about it. How could I possibly like that person?”
Though he didn’t explicitly state the reason, Joo-ah, knowing who the subject was, easily grasped what Cha Yoon meant to say. It must be nonsense that he, a man, could like another man. That’s why, despite Cha Yoon’s grim expression, Song Joo-ah merely scoffed and didn’t back down. Instead, she took a step closer to Cha Yoon and looked up at him.
“Are you trying to act tough in front of someone who knows better? You seem to have forgotten, but I’m the daughter of the pastor from the church you used to attend. At most, you just showed your face at church a few times when you were young. Why are you being so narrow-minded? Hey, what’s so important about common sense when it comes to love?”
“…”
“Actually, is that even common sense to begin with? It doesn’t seem like it to me at all.”
“…”
“And just to remind you of something you seem to have forgotten, you loved that person deeply before. Are you afraid you can’t love someone you’ve already loved once before?”
“Damn it, back then…”
I was out of my mind, I was crazy, that’s all it was. So this time it’s different. Such thoughts swirled in his mouth, but they never made it out. Cha Yoon’s lips moved several times, but he couldn’t say a word.
Seeing his expression full of confusion, Joo-ah heaved a deep sigh. It was because she remembered Cha Yoon, who hadn’t been able to change even a single digit of his phone number until now, despite pretending otherwise.
“I don’t understand why you’re denying it so much and being so prideful. But let’s just admit it now.”
“…”
“There’s only two weeks left. After two weeks, you won’t even have time to face Seo-jung like this. Are you sure you won’t regret it if it ends without you doing anything?”
Cha Yoon couldn’t say anything to the question of whether he was sure he wouldn’t regret it. His complicated expression didn’t ease easily.
Joo-ah couldn’t take her eyes off his face for a long time, but eventually, she stepped back. It seemed she had done all she could. The rest was up to Cha Yoon.
“I think I’ve listened to everything you had to say, so I’ll head home first. Think it over carefully.”
Still, no particular words flowed from Cha Yoon. Joo-ah shrugged her shoulders and turned around, walking away. Correspondingly, the sound of footsteps on the grass gradually faded and eventually became quiet.
Cha Yoon’s bangs fluttered and settled in the occasional autumn breeze. How much time had passed? Cha Yoon, who had been standing still without moving, murmured in a small voice.
“…that I like Ki Seo-jung.”
The fact that he, who had no interest in others, had been bothered by and cared about Ki Seo-jung’s words, expressions, and actions, that his gaze kept turning towards Ki Seo-jung, that he became overly sensitive to Ki Seo-jung’s mood and health condition, that he unconsciously blurted out words full of possessiveness.
All the things he couldn’t understand before were cleanly explained with the single sentence, “I like Ki Seo-jung.” He had come to feel emotions and thoughts through Ki Seo-jung that he had never felt for anyone else in his life. Faced with this truth, further denial was meaningless.
So he had to admit it.
That he likes Ki Seo-jung.
Cha Yoon’s expression, having difficultly decided to acknowledge his feelings, was far from relieved and instead looked gloomy. The reason was, once again, because of Ki Seo-jung.
He likes Ki Seo-jung.
Then what about Ki Seo-jung? Does Ki Seo-jung like him?
Cha Yoon began to recall, one by one, the data he had accumulated about Ki Seo-jung.
Ki Seo-jung, who had been subtly drawing a line especially with him, had recently been ignoring him completely as if he didn’t exist. Not only that, Ki Seo-jung acted affectionately towards his ex-girlfriend Shin Da-bin as if he wanted to get back together, and although he said it meant nothing, he had taken off the necklace he used to wear all the time.
Even yesterday, when they had kissed twice, he still hadn’t received any message. Cha Yoon recalled the mailbox with the number ‘0’ written on it that he had seen the day before and the sleeping back view of Ki Seo-jung, and clicked his tongue.
The data that kept coming to mind all spoke of results different from what Cha Yoon wished for. Damn it… Cha Yoon muttered a small curse. It was then, as he was feeling sad about the negative signals, that his defense mechanism began to work to protect his owner’s mental state, already worn out from long deliberation.
Still, even when they were told they looked like a married couple before, Ki Seo-jung had remained quiet, and when asked for the work schedule, he had sent it right away, and while he only smiled at others, he got angry at Cha Yoon, and crucially, hadn’t he allowed two kisses just yesterday?
Isn’t this enough to think that Ki Seo-jung also considers him special?
“I guess so.”
What kind of crazy person would just sit still when someone they have no feelings for tries to kiss them? Ki Seo-jung must have accepted it all because he has feelings for me too. Even not sending a message yesterday was like that. As soon as the kiss ended, I left Ki Seo-jung alone by leaving the room, so from Ki Seo-jung’s perspective, it was enough to feel upset.
Yeah, that was my fault, anyone would see it that way. I should apologize for that part when Ki Seo-jung comes back from work. Cha Yoon nodded with a brightened expression after reaching the conclusion he wanted. As he was smiling contentedly for a while, he suddenly stopped nodding at a thought that came to mind. Wait a minute.
“Then…”
Ki Seo-jung and I, are we going to start dating soon?
Ki Seo-jung and himself dating. Dating meant becoming lovers who could legally possess each other and declare that fact to others. As soon as that thought occurred, Cha Yoon’s mouth corners stretched wide and shot up high, not knowing where the sky ended.
The mental victory that appeared as a defense mechanism to protect Cha Yoon’s self was already gradually inflating, making him struggle in delusion.
What should we do when we become lovers? Ki Seo-jung couldn’t cook, so living together would be good first. Cha Yoon would go to the market every dawn to exercise and shop, and after preparing breakfast, he would wake Ki Seo-jung with a morning kiss. As he was continuing this imagination, there was a sound from the main gate far away.
Cha Yoon, who was just about to blow out the candles on their 5th anniversary cake in his imagination, barely lifted his head and came out of his daydream. As he moved his gaze, he saw the figure of a cast member returning from an errand under the sunset sky.
Cha Yoon quickly checked the time on his phone. 5 PM. If he started preparing dinner busily from now, he could finish by the time Ki Seo-jung got off work. After gauging the time, Cha Yoon soon moved his steps hurriedly.
***
The sky that had been reddish with sunset was now covered in black darkness. As always, hunger-inducing smells wafted from the kitchen, and the one moving busily in there was none other than Cha Yoon.
Cha Yoon looked down at the braised short ribs in the pot with a highly concentrated expression, then turned off the induction stove. He started plating the well-cooked, shiny braised short ribs with tongs. As he piled them one by one on the plate, a tower was formed. Cha Yoon placed the last piece on top and smiled with satisfaction.
The food on the plates wasn’t just that. From beef soup to pan-fried beef and japchae, it was better than any feast. What was noticeable was that amid all this, there was not a single piece of seafood to be seen. It was a table setting thoroughly tailored to Ki Seo-jung’s taste.
“What’s this? I smelled something delicious from the entrance and wondered what it was. Is it someone’s birthday today?”
Gong Min-wook, who had come out after washing up after work, approached and asked.
“What birthday?”
“I asked because it’s such a feast. Did you make all this yourself, Cha Yoon?”
“Yes.”
Despite the reply that showed no effort at all, Min-wook didn’t mind.
“Should I carry this to the dining table? I’ll move it.”
Looks delicious. As Min-wook, focusing on the beautifully plated food on each dish, reached out towards the plates, a sharp hand slapped the back of his hand just before it touched the edge of the plate. Along with the slapping sound, a short cry of “Ah!” escaped his mouth.
“What’s this, suddenly!”
Min-wook asked, rubbing the back of his hand that had been hit out of nowhere. It was red enough to show how hard he had been hit.
Nevertheless, far from apologizing, Cha Yoon glared at Gong Min-wook with an annoyed expression. Do you know what kind of plate this is? It was filled with only the most appetizing and pretty items selected after finishing all the cooking.
“Don’t touch it. If you want to eat, eat what’s in the pots and pans over there, not what’s on these plates.”
Cha Yoon pulled the plated dishes towards himself and jerked his chin towards somewhere. Following the direction of his chin, a considerable amount of food could be seen remaining. Min-wook’s expression gradually softened at the sight of the food, and he soon called out to the cast members in a loud voice.
As they gathered one by one at the dining table for dinner, Cha Yoon placed the plates on a large tray and covered them with a cloth. Then, just in case, he brought a post-it note and left a memo saying, “Do not touch under any circumstances. – Cha Yoon -”
After washing his hands once more, Cha Yoon wore a refreshed expression like someone who had completed a mission and was about to head towards the dining table. That’s when Sae-young’s voice stopped him in his tracks.
“But it seems Seo-jung oppa hasn’t come yet. Is it okay if we eat without him?”
“Yeah. It’s about time he should be here, should we wait?”
“No need.”
“Cha Yoon, what did you say?”
“I said don’t wait for Ki Seo-jung and just eat with whoever’s here.”
